Anonymous Gambler: LeBron watch to spice up summer

LeBron James is the face of Cleveland sports right now, but will that change this summer? Oddsmakers are having a field day with the possibilities.

Photo: ANDREW SPEAR, NYT

Welcome to the Anonymous Gambler, Texas Sports Nation's new weekly feature on the world of sports wagering.

As with all ventures such as this, we advise you to keep your money in a mattress instead of risking it on coaches and players who typically do not care how much they win by, even if you have a lot riding on it.

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The NBA takes the lead this week, but the Warriors-Cavs matchup isn't the most interesting item on the table. Not in these parts.

As has been the case a couple times in recent years, the NBA offseason could bring more drama than the league's playoffs.

Of course, every team in the top 10 (except the Warriors, right?) would like to add James.

Jeff Sherman, manager of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, told The Big Lead that if James ended up with the Rockets, those numbers would change.

"If the Rockets got LeBron and were able to keep Chris Paul and Clint Capela, they would be the title favorites, slightly over the Warriors," Sherman said.

Sherman said the 76ers are at No. 3 on their list because Philadelphia is considered to be the most likely landing spot for James. Today, that is.

In next week's column, we'll have new odds on where James will land this offseason.

Yes, the Rockets will be in the mix.

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As for actual basketball, will Friday's Game 4 between the Warriors and Cavaliers be the last game of the year?

The Warriors are the 14th team in league history to go up 3-0 in the Finals. Of course, the previous 13 teams all went on to win the series.

Of those, eight pulled off the sweep. (The 1995 Rockets were the first team to defend its title with a sweep.)

The Warriors couldn't do it last year. After losing the first three games by an average of 15.3 points, the Cavaliers fought back in Game 4, with a blowout 137-117 victory.

Should you expect the same this season?

Depending on where you look, the Warriors are anywhere from 4 ½ to 5-point favorites.

Home dogs that haven't won a game in a series are good bets in Game 3s, but not so much in Game 4s. Coming home for Game 3, a team feels it still can make a series of it.

After it is down 0-3, their thinking is like that of the monkey in the old joke "What did the monkey say after he got his tail caught in a revolving door?" ... "It won't be long now."

Expect the Cavaliers to put up a fight, but do they really want to travel out to Oakland for another game and deal with three more days of press conferences, just to get stomped on Monday?

It won't be as bad as Nick Van Exel's "One, two, three ... Cancun!" as the Lakers were about to get swept out of the 1998 playoffs, but unless Cleveland puts down the hammer from the start with another historic night as they did a year ago, expect them to succumb late.

The Cavaliers, who couldn't win a home game in which Steph Curry hit just 1-of-10 3-pointers, simply aren't good enough. The Warriors wanted to win the championship at home last season, and did so. They aren't likely to waste time this year because the Cavaliers can't keep up. Give the points.

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The Astros don't even lead their division, and have only the fourth best record in the American League, but they remained atop the current World Series odds entering this month.

May 1 odds June 1 odds

Houston Astros 5/1 9/2

New York Yankees 9/1 5/1

Boston Red Sox 13/2 13/2

Washington Nationals 16/1 17/2

Milwaukee Brewers 25/1 11/1

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Bovada put out its NCAA football over/under win totals for Power Five conferences this week.

Here are some teams of local interest:

Baylor BearsOver 5½ (-180, 5/9)Under 5½ (+150, 3/2)

LSU TigersOver 7 (+110, 11/10)Under 7 (-140, 5/7)

Oklahoma SoonersOver 10½ (+120, 6/5)Under 10½ (-150, 2/3)

Texas LonghornsOver/Under 8½

Texas A&M AggiesOver 7 (-130, 10/13)Under 7 (EVEN, 1/1)

TCU Horned FrogsOver 7½ (-140, 5/7)Under 7½ (+110, 11/10)

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Silly prop bet of the week: How many different franchises will be fined by the NFL for violating the "New National Anthem Policy" in 2018?

Anonymous Gambler’s wagering experience dates to the bookie operation he started in the third grade at an HISD elementary school. The college bowl season proved to be quite lucrative, but the business went under when several “clients” refused to pay their debts. AG’s math skills far exceeded his fighting ability and desire, so collecting was an issue. AG brought the business back briefly in the sixth grade, with a hired enforcer on the payroll. It was a wonderful, but short run, because his enforcer moved to the other side of town.

AG didn’t do any serious gambling until he took up blackjack on trips to Las Vegas in his 20s. One of his proudest moments was being asked to leave Palace Station Casino on a card-counting accusation because of an impressive run. AG fell in love with poker the very first time he played, winning several hundred dollars off a group of yuppies at a bachelor party despite barely knowing the rankings of hands. He dove into poker big-time, and has since played in underground games all over Houston, and at casinos and card rooms from major cities in Europe to small towns in Wisconsin. While he prefers cash games to tournaments, the World Series of Poker is high on his bucket list. AG is fascinated by and studies most aspects of gambling – remember, poker isn’t gambling – but aside from occasionally playing in a fantasy football league, and trips to the race track, he doesn’t bet on sports.

“I find sports entertaining enough without having to bet on games,” he says. “Plus, most athletes and coaches do not care about point spreads. So why should I put my money in their hands?”